Sports you can start in late elementary that aren't hyper competitive?

[Anonymous]

Fencing. Many kids start in late ES. My son fenced for five years. Great sport!

[Anonymous]

Also, it is easy to catch up in soccer if your kid are willing to work on his own. increase the number of touches everyday, and you will see results in 1-3 months.

[Anonymous]

Volleyball, squash

[Anonymous]

A lot of my younger DDs friends (6th grade) started volleyball this year.

If your DC can swim/knows all 4 strokes, swimming may be a possibility. My kid took lessons for years but first joined a summer swim team then a winter club team in 6th grade. It's as competitive as the kids make it...DD is by no means the fastest kid on the team, but she's not the slowest either and for her the goal is self-improvement/personal best times from one meet to the next.

My older kid does Tae Kwon Do. People of all ages are constantly signing up to start classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Flag football
Maybe lacrosse
Somewhat agree on baseball but they probably need a season or so to get up to speed
Swimming possible but may need a season or so to get up to speed
Agree on track

Me again.
Also agree on tennis.
Probably golf but my kids haven’t tried
TKD / martial arts

Be prepared to spend a lot of money on either tennis or golf.

[Anonymous]

Why not have him stay at the recreational level in the sport he enjoys?

If he wants to take up a new sport a lot of boys don't start lacrosse or basketball until 3rd grade or later. The rec leagues provide a great introduction to these sports through middle school.

For girls, field hockey is an excellent sport to start as late as high school.

[Anonymous]

There are other things than the traditional team sports in life, but apparently most parents don't see that. They don't understand that chess, Lego robotics, choir, gym, ballet, rock-climbing, horseback riding, hiking, sailing, are all activities their son or daughter can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he has a good arm he might enjoy and pick up baseball. My son played Rec for years, and every year there are kids who are new to the game. What you can do to prepare him his teach him the game itself - if he has game sense (where to run, where to throw, how to communicate) he’ll do well as he learns the physical skills. Teach him to hit off a tee.

My son refuses to start new sports others are already good at (soccer and lacrosse for him) but when cross country and track were offered in Middle School he jumped in and was off and running (so to speak).

Thanks -I didn't realize baseball had newbies like that. it will be interesting to see if my son would do track/cross country. He's tall and has stamina, but gets bored easily. But maybe having an internal world would make running more enjoyable? I like that anyone can just get into it...

I have a third grade boy who's tall and gets bored easily too He played AAA baseball and I'll warn you that while there are lots of kids who can hit into the outfield at this level (so there's increasing action out there), my son also finds the outfield boring.

[Anonymous]

Fencing, rowing, cross country

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS loves soccer, but doesn't feel good at it. He didn't start until this school year (3rd grade) & he's playing with kids who have been at it since preschool and many are quite good. All of his teammates are trying out for developmental and/or travel and will likely make it. He is afraid to try out because he doesn't think he's ready for it. (He's not completely wrong, but I'm also sad that he's discouraged.) I'm tempted to make him at least try out, but also want to help him find a new sport to try where you can start later and not feel so far behind. He also tried basketball and feels behind there as well.

What other sports should I encourage him to try where he won't feel so far behind? It's hard to have a sense of competence when you are behind your peers in a sport you are playing....He is tall and has a great throwing arm, is great at throwing a football, so we suggested flag football, but I don't want him to play the real thing in HS...

He's 8 (or 9)! Why can't he just play rec soccer? Why can't he just play rec basketball?

I think this is a life skill - you will not be the best at everything. There will always be situations where someone has done something longer than you have. My kids are 7 and 9, and you know what? There are plenty of kids who have never played soccer, baseball AND basketball. I know because my kids have played all three of these sports. Forget playing - at least half of our rec team this past season looked like they hadn't even seen a basketball game. You have to put in work to be good at most things - even cross country and track.

Find some teams where kids are in a similar spot - trust me, there are plenty of kids who are at the same skill level as your son.

[Anonymous]

Golf is a great option - public courses like Falls Road have good instructional options for new players.

[Anonymous]

What does he seem interested in, OP? That is what I would try. Having a high school age boy, I can tell you, it all shifts when boys start growing. Boys who were best when they were little often are not anymore. Boys who are big and quick get a lot more looks. Coaches can teach skills and are often willing to take a chance on an athletic kid.

Most teams will pick up a kid who is athletic and practices in middle school so I would choose the one on which he will spend the time. If nothing else, try track because running helps with almost everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS loves soccer, but doesn't feel good at it. He didn't start until this school year (3rd grade) & he's playing with kids who have been at it since preschool and many are quite good. All of his teammates are trying out for developmental and/or travel and will likely make it. He is afraid to try out because he doesn't think he's ready for it. (He's not completely wrong, but I'm also sad that he's discouraged.) I'm tempted to make him at least try out, but also want to help him find a new sport to try where you can start later and not feel so far behind. He also tried basketball and feels behind there as well.

What other sports should I encourage him to try where he won't feel so far behind? It's hard to have a sense of competence when you are behind your peers in a sport you are playing....He is tall and has a great throwing arm, is great at throwing a football, so we suggested flag football, but I don't want him to play the real thing in HS...

He's 8 (or 9)! Why can't he just play rec soccer? Why can't he just play rec basketball?

I think this is a life skill - you will not be the best at everything. There will always be situations where someone has done something longer than you have. My kids are 7 and 9, and you know what? There are plenty of kids who have never played soccer, baseball AND basketball. I know because my kids have played all three of these sports. Forget playing - at least half of our rec team this past season looked like they hadn't even seen a basketball game. You have to put in work to be good at most things - even cross country and track.

Find some teams where kids are in a similar spot - trust me, there are plenty of kids who are at the same skill level as your son.

YES.

We have family friends whose son joined DS's rec team this year - they're 8 - and he definitely spent the season trying to figure out which way was up. I saw he was very frustrated at times but he worked through it. His parents were SO discouraged and said things like "I guess soccer is not going to be his thing." I was a little taken aback by their attitude for the reasons pp noted. It doesn't have to be his thing! Does he want to do it? Is he learning and having fun? I thought their son picked up on their disappointment and it influenced his own attitude accordingly. Yes, I do think children who become elite athletes have some preternatural talent, but the vast amount of kids who go on to be very good at a sport do so because they are challenged and they persevere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS loves soccer, but doesn't feel good at it. He didn't start until this school year (3rd grade) & he's playing with kids who have been at it since preschool and many are quite good. All of his teammates are trying out for developmental and/or travel and will likely make it. He is afraid to try out because he doesn't think he's ready for it. (He's not completely wrong, but I'm also sad that he's discouraged.) I'm tempted to make him at least try out, but also want to help him find a new sport to try where you can start later and not feel so far behind. He also tried basketball and feels behind there as well.

What other sports should I encourage him to try where he won't feel so far behind? It's hard to have a sense of competence when you are behind your peers in a sport you are playing....He is tall and has a great throwing arm, is great at throwing a football, so we suggested flag football, but I don't want him to play the real thing in HS...

He's 8 (or 9)! Why can't he just play rec soccer? Why can't he just play rec basketball?

I think this is a life skill - you will not be the best at everything. There will always be situations where someone has done something longer than you have. My kids are 7 and 9, and you know what? There are plenty of kids who have never played soccer, baseball AND basketball. I know because my kids have played all three of these sports. Forget playing - at least half of our rec team this past season looked like they hadn't even seen a basketball game. You have to put in work to be good at most things - even cross country and track.

Find some teams where kids are in a similar spot - trust me, there are plenty of kids who are at the same skill level as your son.

Rec sports are definitely the appropriate level for kids who want to try sports and just have fun and learn. Don't worry about what other people are doing with travel sports that costs thousands of dollars, have multiple practices a week and way too many games on the weekends. Another way for your son to get better at soccer, if this is what he wants, is to go to soccer camps in the summer or to just play at school during recess.

[Anonymous]

OP, there's nothing wrong with sticking with rec in late elementary. We have a very good (division 1) rec team and only two of the girls have ever played at a higher level. The rest are either fun/casual players, or have a second sport they are heavily into (like gymnastics) or their parents don't want them going to ADP/travel. One of our best players never played at all until 3rd grade - she's phenomenal at every position. So don't feel like you have to switch from soccer.